HAVERHILL — A grand jury has indicted a 21-year-old suspect on three felony charges for an April burglary that involved a fatal shooting.
And although police don’t believe he acted alone, no one else has been charged.
Jayden McClanahan, a Connecticut native, faces felony charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and felonious use of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty to these charges April 21, but a Haverhill Circuit Court judge found probable cause to move the case to a higher court.
Once the case was bound over to Grafton County Superior Court, a grand jury determined on July 23 that McClanahan should be indicted.
On April 20, McClanahan, possibly among others, allegedly entered a Nelson Street apartment at night through its emergency fire escape. Those involved were armed and shot one adult occupant, Demetrius White, 22, of Springfield, Mass, killing him.
The indictment outlining the series of events states that McClanahan, “C.G.,” and or others” climbed the apartment’s emergency fire escape, illegally entered the apartment armed with firearms and shot two occupants. It is unclear who C.G. is, as the attorney general’s office has not released information on any other suspects.
The investigation is active and ongoing, with no new information available to the public, Director of Communications Michael Garrity said Thursday by email.
A “large number of people” ran out of the building following the incident, Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand said at an April news conference in Haverhill Town Hall.
An autopsy conducted in the days following the shooting confirmed that White died of gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, per a news release by the state attorney general’s office.
A second adult male occupant sustained gunshot injuries, but survived. McClanahan and others fled from the apartment and travelled together from the area.
The first offense of felonious use of a firearm, as in McClanahan’s case, carries a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison and a $4,000 fine. For burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, the maximum sentence is 15 years in state prison, particularly when entering someone’s dwelling at night or inflicting bodily harm.
Jayden McClanahan (courtesy New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office)
McClanahan’s initial bail order called for detainment. As of April, he was held at the Grafton County Jail, but the inmate locator does not show his current status.
A condition of the initial bail order was not to contact “D.P.,” age 32, “X.M,” age 24, or the family of “D.W,” 22, which could be referring to Demetrius White.
The defendant proposed an order for Judge Jonathan Frizzell’s consideration that would allow for release upon payment of a $1,000 bail. Frizzell has not made a decision. McClanahan has a video arraignment bail hearing scheduled for Aug. 10.
